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Using the barrel to get a more intense oak presence or caramel-forward flavor into your whiskey may not be as straightforward as you think. Sydney Jones, supervisor and lead distillery technician at Heaven Hill in Bardstown, Kentucky, lays out some recent findings on char and toast—plus, some tips on finishing whiskey in spirit casks.

Much of whiskey’s flavor comes from maturation on oak. Sydney Jones, supervisor and lead distillery technician at Heaven Hill in Bardstown, Kentucky, explains why—and how both climate and entry proof can dramatically affect that impact.

There’s more to whiskey than grain alcohol and a barrel. Fermentation can do more than create ethanol—it also creates flavors that will be further developed by the still and the wood. Sydney Jones, supervisor and lead distillery technician at Heaven Hill in Bardstown, Kentucky, explains the process and the wider potential.

Sydney Jones, supervisor and lead distillery technician at Heaven Hill in Bardstown, Kentucky, isolates the components of whiskey-making, zooming in on all the many decision points that a distiller can use to affect whiskey’s flavor.

In this clip from their video course, Village Garage cofounder Glen Sauer explains the thinking behind the distillery’s multi-layered fire precautions and gravity-powered filling station.

Using the roller mill as an example, Village Garage head distiller Ryan Scheswohl makes the case for the kind of preventive maintenance that can preserve efficiency while saving costs and trouble in the long run.

In this clip from their video course, head distiller Ryan Scheswohl describes Village Garage’s on-grain, open-top fermentation method, from how many days they allow for the ferment to their streamlined transfer into the still.

In this clip from their video course: Village Garage head distiller Ryan Scheswohl explains how steel-jacketed pipes and clean steam make for a quicker, more efficient brewing process.

R&D distiller Mitch Mahar describes the innovation program that helps WhistlePig choose single-cask finishes worth pursuing, as well as potential threads for their annual Boss Hog special release.

In this clip from their video course, WhistlePig R&D distiller Mitch Mahar explains how the rye harvest can affect their choice of barrels for aging the spirit, as well as how cask placement can affect the final product.

In this clip from his video course, master distiller Stephen Julander discusses how whiskey mellows with time, and he enjoys being able to blend from both new-oak and previously used barrels at Santa Fe Spirits.

To everything, there is a season... but to a barrel-aged spirit, there are several. Those fluctuations in temperature play a key role in how the wood affects the liquid’s flavors. In this clip from his video course, Santa Fe Spirits master distiller Stephen Julander discusses climate, barrel placement, and more.

Santa Fe Spirits master distiller Stephen Julander explains why they produce a somewhat rougher distillate whose compounds break down and transform over years in the barrel.

Santa Fe Spirits master distiller Stephen Julander explains how coopers use fires of different intensities and times to prepare barrels to influence character of spirits over the long haul.

In just a few short years, Craft ’Ohana has become a multicategory powerhouse—and it’s just getting started.

No two barleys are identical, so the maltster must adjust. Root Shoot head maltster Mike Myers explains how different varieties, harvests, and the weather all affect the process of making quality malt for distillers and brewers.

Root Shoot founder Todd Olander explains what they look for when selecting varieties and growing corn for craft distillers.

Root Shoot founder Todd Olander and head maltster Mike Myers discuss working with farmers and using their senses to get the best grains they can to make high-quality malts for distillers and brewers.

Root Shoot founder Todd Olander and head maltster Mike Myers describe the slow, careful germination process and the kilning temperatures involved in producing high-quality malt for distillers.

In this clip from his video course, Boulder Spirits distiller Justin Baier shares several details about how they age, evaluate, blend, and proof down different barrels of single-malt whiskeys, as well as how they finish some in different kinds of casks.